When Lightning Strikes
by Patience.Virtue.Is
Summary: Sequel to If There Be Thunder. The news about Tohru and Yuki's relationship has leaked to everyone, including Akito. What will he do when he finds out? Can Yuki save her from his wrath? Yukiru. R&R Complete! Epilogue up!
1. Shigure

**A/N1:** Whahaha, I'm back fast!!!!! And you thought you could get rid of me!! hehehe Lalalala, because you guys are so nice to me, you shall get a sequel! And because I felt bad for being mean to Erica! (I'm sorry…but now it's up!) Thanks for your encouraging reviews!!! They mean **heaps** to me!!

**PLEASE READ!!!!!!**** I am not going to be using the name endings. I will just say: Tohru, Kyou, Yuki, Shigure…etc. **

**Disclaimer:** My name is **not** Natsuki Takaya; so therefore, I do not own Fruits Basket. If I did…then I'd be married to Yuki. Loll.

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**Ch.1**

Shigure quietly snuck in the house through the back. He was trying desperately not to be seen. He was sure that his editor wouldn't be happy with him at all once she found the doodles he'd drawn while 'writing' his manuscript. Upon entering the house, he decided to go to the kitchen and get a snack before dinner, or to steal some of what Tohru was making; pretending to work made him hungry.

He slid open the door and saw…nothing and no one. There was a trace that Tohru had in fact been cooking, for there were pots out, but nothing was prepared. _"Hmmm, maybe she took a break and went to Yuki's room,"_ He thought evilly to himself. Shigure listened carefully, but heard no sounds to prove that theory. A sudden idea came into his head, _"They could be at that garden they planted those leeks at."_ That thought seemed the most reasonable, so he slipped out the screen door. What he saw made him freeze in his tracks. Oh he had found those two alright… Yuki and Tohru were locked in a passionate embrace, not aware of anything around them.

Shigure tiptoed back into the house to hunt for the camera. He had to get a picture of this! Digging thorough his messy room, he found the one that Ayame had brought over two weeks ago. Quickly, so not to miss the moment he hurried back outside only to find Yuki and Tohru still kissing. Six successive clicks later, he had perfect prints to show Aya; and the two lovebirds –his new nickname for them—hadn't even noticed a thing. Laughing to himself he went back in the house and rummaged through the fridge. _"There's gotta be something to eat in here that I don't have to cook." _

**XXX**__I was gonna stop this chapter here, but that's sooo short. So I decided not to!!__**XXX**

When Yuki and Tohru finally decided to go back in the house, they were both surprised to find Shigure: sitting down on the floor, with slips of something in his hand, and laughing so hard that he was crying and yet…at the same time making no sound. Yuki's eyes narrowed suspiciously as he watched his ridiculous older cousin laugh at whatever he was holding.

"Shigure? Can I see what you're laughing at?" he asked, with his eyes now in slits. It took awhile for Shigure to calm himself down enough to form a coherent response.

"No I'm sorry Yuki; I just don't believe that you and Tohru have reached the proper maturity level for these pictures." As soon as the word 'pictures' left Shigure's mouth, Yuki leapt forward angrily and yanked them (carefully) out of his hands. Yuki only had to glance at the top one to know what they were pictures of. His face flushed immediately and he wordlessly handed the pictures to Tohru, who had been watching their whole exchange curiously.

She too glanced at the top picture and dropped it in surprise. "Umm, Shigure….?" She spoke softly, hoping that she wouldn't anger him; not computing the fact that he found this whole situation hilarious, not angering. Shigure carelessly waved a hand at her, "Oh no, don't bother explaining. I understand completely. The two of you couldn't stand the sexual tension and you Tohru, being the seductress that you are, ambushed my poor little cousin when he was only trying to plant some leeks. I get it." Tohru turned crimson. "No! No, it wasn't like that at all!! You see…" Shigure chuckled.

"Tohru, Tohru, its fine. Just remember…go easy on Yuki ok, he's very inexperienced." Shigure winked at her and started to walk off. Before he could escape, Shigure felt something pulling on his collar; he sweat dropped. "Not. So. Fast." Yuki growled menacingly at his cousin. "Oh now Yuki!! You know I was only joking. I didn't mean anything by it really!" he exclaimed nervously to his ever-approaching cousin. Tohru, deciding it would be better not to watch, went to her room and collapsed on her bed. A few seconds later, a faint rapping on her door met her ears.

"Come in." She called. The door opened slightly and Yuki poked his head through. "I'm terribly sorry about that Tohru." She smiled and gestured for him to come and sit down beside her.

"Oh it was nothing."

"So….where were we?" Yuki asked in a husky voice before he leaned down and kissed her again, his hands encircling her slim waist.

Both once again fully engaged in a world where only the two of them existed, they took no notice of the stealthy Shigure sneaking into the room. He gingerly held the camera to his blackened eye and snapped three more pictures before leaving the room as quietly as he had entered.

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**A/N2:** Hmmm, I don't know what to think of this……I hope that it's at least mildly funny! I'm not sure how many chapters there will be, but I'm thinking that there's gonna be more than 3. Anyway, please review!!!!! This is for all the reviewers wanting more of Shigure, Kyou, and Aya. If all goes as planned, then you will see Akito too! And to those of you who haven't finished the manga, I won't spoil anything! I'm not going into detail about anything past Volume 9.

lovelove,

Amanda


	2. Kisses in the Rain

**A/N1:** Yay, I am in an updating mood this week!! First the _**long**_ awaited 6th chapter of The Deepest Desire, and now this!!! Whoot! But don't get too used to it.

**Disclaimer:** Nope, not mine. Though I wish desperately that it was mine…or that at least Yuki was. Heheh…

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**Ch.2**

The next day was an extremely quiet one, much to Yuki's surprise. He had thoroughly expected Shigure to constantly hound Tohru and him over their relationship status; but instead Shigure jogged out of the house around noon, saying something about going on a lunch date with an author he met recently. He pitied the who fool who went out with him, Karyn, he believed her name was. Hopefully she would last long enough not to slap him due to his crude humor, unless of course they shared the same sense of humor.

**Flashback to yesterday:**

"_Give me one reason as to why I shouldn't hurt you." Yuki growled in Shigure's face._

"_Well…you see, I'm going on a date tomorrow." Yuki's eyes widened in disbelief._

"_Yes, yes it's true! I met her at this Authors' Convention and she's written many books. Her bestseller is called: __Seductively Evil.__" Shigure smiled with a far off look in his eyes, and Yuki shuddered; that sounded like one book he never wanted to read. "What's her name?" Yuki asked, getting the odd feeling of role reversal if he were to have had a 'date' with anyone other than Tohru._

"_Karyn…" _

**End flashback**

So today, Yuki and Tohru had the day and the house to themselves, and they didn't have to worry about being caught on candid camera! For the first part, the two just sat around and enjoyed each others company –ahem—nonverbally. Around 1:00, after they had eaten lunch of course, Tohru suggested they head over to the base.

"The strawberries won't be ready you know." Yuki told her gently, but her smile never faltered.

"Oh I know, but maybe we can pick some leeks and maybe some carrots or radishes. I just thought that'd it would be nice to spend the day outside. And who knows, it could rain!" Tohru sighed happily, "I love the rain. It's so refreshing."

"But I thought you were afraid of the rain."

"No, it wasn't the rain; it was the heavy storms that would sometimes come with the rain. Now, I don't mind even those because you helped me." She leaned up and kissed him softly on the lips. When he moved to deepen the kiss she pulled away and playfully scolded him. "Not now, Yuki. We've got a base to tend to!" She grabbed his hand and led him outside.

Tohru stopped halfway to the base and pointed to the path on the right that went up slightly steep hill. "What's that?" she asked.

"It's a path….leading to a hill." He said in a tone that implied 'duh.' Tohru hit him lightly on the arm. "I know that…but where does it go?"

"On to other property. Haven't you seen it before?" Tohru colored lightly, she was not known for her observational skills.

"Umm, no. Do you think we could go up there and sit after we look over the base?"

"Yes, that would be nice. I don't think that I have really been up there, although I have always been a bit curious."

"Great! Now let's go to the base!" The two reached the base and Tohru went straight to the strawberries to see their progress. While she was examining each and every strawberry plant, Yuki methodically went though the leeks, the radishes and the carrots, gradually filling the basket that he brought with vegetables.

"Tohru, I think that we've gotten all we can for now. Let's go up the path." She followed him cheerfully as he maneuvered through the trees to the hill and onto the path up the hill. Once the path reached the point at the hill where it began to go downhill, they stopped and looked at the view below. Tohru sighed, "This would be a great place to have a picnic. It's so beautiful up here." Yuki nodded in agreement. Above them, the clouds began to block the sun, turning the once gorgeously sunny day dark. Tohru looked up at the stormy sky and saw the rain that was threatening to fall. She turned her eyes to Yuki and found him staring intensely at her.

"C'mon, let's go." She addressed him. Without a word, he came intoxicatingly close to her and laid his lips softly on hers.

Tohru's eyes widened and she smiled delightfully into his kiss. Yuki wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her closer until not even a magazine would fit between them.

Suddenly, a drop of rain fell on the top of their heads. They broke apart and looked up at the falling rain. The drops began to fall faster and harder. Tohru grinned at Yuki and placed her arms around his neck to pull him into another kiss, this one much more passionate. Her lips hungrily found his, and her tongue ran lightly over his lips, while her hands tangled themselves in his hair. His lips soon separated from hers and he kissed down her neck, leaving a trail of fire, making Tohru moan in pleasure. They went on kissing in the pouring rain and getting soaked to the bone, the basket of vegetables lying on the grass, long forgotten.

She took her lips off his and giggled at him fondly. Yuki gave her a look of confusion, but she merely laughed more and turned and ran in the opposite direction. The bewildered look on his face immediately vanished as he ran after her, full speed. After a few seconds, Yuki caught up to her and grabbed Tohru's slim waist from behind and twirled her around in the air.

They laughed happily, both at the moment not being able to think of anywhere else they would rather be. Yuki set her down for a brief second before lifting her up again, this time bridal-style and carrying her down the hill back to Shigure's house. Before he set her down to open the door, he kissed her again, his lips sending tingles through her body.

The happy, yet soaked to the bone couple walked into the house; nothing could ruin the perfect day they had already spent together. Or so they thought. As soon as the couple walked in, they came face-to-face with a very angry and quite jealous, (though Tohru didn't pick that up) Kyou.

"What. The. Hell?"

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**A/N2:** Lalala fluff, I love fluff!! Especially in the rain!! Ok the rain scene was something random that I wrote, not really planning to put it here. But I got a review requesting more description of their relationship so I added this. Please **review!** No flames!!!

_**NOTE:**_ I manipulated the landscape on which Shigure's house resides to write this. And a further note, I have no idea what can be planted in what season, so if radishes, potatoes, leeks, and whatever else aren't ripe in the same season, oh well. I didn't know. Sorry.

lovelove, Amanda

**REVIEW! **


	3. Kyou

**A/N1:** Hey! An update!! (gasps) Amazing, I know!! Actually what's _really_ amazing is the response I got for the last chapter!! Thank you all soo much!! It means a great deal to me to have you guys leave so many nice reviews!!!!!!!

**Disclaimer:** Honestly…this is uber-annoying!! No I don't own Fruits Basket.

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**Ch.3**

Brief Recap:** The happy, yet soaked to the bone couple walked into the house; nothing could ruin the perfect day they had already spent together. Or so they thought. As soon as the couple walked in, they came face-to-face with a very angry and quite jealous, (though Tohru didn't pick that up) Kyou. **

"**What. The. Hell?"**

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Kyou was angry, very angry. But he didn't come back to the house angry, oh no. When he was heading back from the dojo, he was slightly euphoric. He had had a great time up there, and he felt that he had improved a lot in his martial arts. So much in fact, that he was confident that he could finally beat Yuki. The only rain on his figurative parade was the interruption from Ayame. That scene with Yuki and Tohru sleeping together, **(not like that you gutter-dwellers!)** had infuriated him. It seemed like he could never win against Yuki.

The only thing that kept him from storming at Yuki was the fact that he was positive that Tohru was only seeking comfort from Yuki. They weren't together or anything. But that image never left his head, therefore prompting Kyou to cut his week at the dojo short to prevent the two from getting any closer together.

Kyou walked into the house and came across Shigure sitting on the couch laughing at something in his hands, similar to the way Yuki and Tohru saw him. Kyou narrowed his eyes suspiciously. _Whatever he's laughing at, it's either going to be incredibly stupid or incredibly perverted._ He thought to himself.

"What are you looking at?" Shigure looked at him with tears of laughter in his eyes.

"Ohh, it's nothing really." Kyou didn't buy that for a second; instead he reached over and ed the pictures out of his older cousin's hands. Shigure wailed miserably, "Picture er, picture er!!!! Give them back!!!" After one quick glance through the various pictures of Yuki and Tohru kissing, Kyou paled and wordlessly handed them back to Shigure. Now Kyou knew for a fact that he had no chance against his cousin. Being the tactless person that he was, Shigure continued to (unintentionally of course) torment Kyou.

"Wait! I have something else for you to see." He walked over to the screen door and bent down to the video camera that he had on a tripod. The next 3 minutes were pure heartbreak for Kyou. He was watching a video that Shigure was currently filming of Tohru and of course Yuki in the rain kissing and carrying on. Now he was positive that the two were official. _That damn rat wins everything! He even won Tohru. He beat me in the only thing that actually matters to me. Tohru was my everything; she was the only one who saw me not as a 'monster' but as a person. Now it's too late. Damn Yuki._

Suddenly, Yuki and Tohru were 20 feet away and Shigure haphazardly grabbed the camera and tripod and ran down the hall to hide them. So when Yuki and Tohru appeared soaked to the bone with faces very much aglow with joy, Kyou was there to greet them. The only words he managed to choke out were, "What. The. Hell?" Shigure traipsed in looking back and forth between the couple and the Kyou, whose face was rapidly turning red in anger.

Even though she had no inkling of why Kyou was angry, Tohru knew that it would not be wise to stay in the room. She quickly blurted out the first excuse she could come up with that would allow her to leave the room.

"Oh, umm…you must be hungry! I'll go make some snacks." With that she scurried off to the kitchen as fast as she could without looking completely suspicious.

Once Tohru left, Kyou said not one word to Yuki, knowing that whatever spewed out of his mouth would make him seem like an angry child. So instead, he threw punches left and right. Yuki needed no explanation of Kyou's sudden attack; he knew exactly what was going on. Instead of stopping to fight back, Yuki simply dodged everything Kyou threw his way.

"You damn sissy rat boy!! Fight back! Fight like a man!" Kyou exploded. There was only so much Yuki could take from Kyou lying down, so he finally raised his arm to retaliate when a timid voice interrupted them.

"Is this a bad time?" A slim woman with hair a bit longer than a pixie cut walked into the house. Shigure, who had been quietly observing the two boys fight, had suddenly sparked to life.

"No, it's not a bad time at all! Yuki, Kyou, this is Karyn, that author that I met at the convention. Karyn, these are my younger cousins Yuki and Kyou." Yuki, always being the polite, one smiled at her. "Very nice to meet you." Kyou simply grunted an inaudible response.

Tohru heard the pause in fighting and the polite talking from the kitchen and went out to the main room to see what was happening. At the sight of the newcomer, Tohru went up to her and offered a hand. "Hello, I'm Tohru Honda. Nice to meet you…"

"Karyn."

"Right, nice to meet you Karyn."

"Ok well now that the introductions are over," Shigure began, "Karyn and I have some author-type things to do." In a loud whisper that wasn't intended for anyone else to hear, but everyone heard anyway, Shigure asked Karyn, "Did you bring them?"

She smirked. "Of course I did. They're in here." Karyn motioned to the bag on her arm, and Shigure's grin widened as he led her to his study.

And then there were three. None of them were sure of what to do. Tohru desperately wanted the guys to stop fighting and to have Kyou tell her what was wrong so she could help him; Yuki just wanted Kyou to stay the hell away from Tohru if his intent was to win her affections; and Kyou wanted Yuki to drop and he wanted Tohru to be his and his alone. Fed up with the silence, Kyou turned on his heel and stormed up to his room, the slam of his door echoing throughout the whole house, and leaving silence in its wake.

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**A/N2:** Please review! No flames!! And if I get a response as awesome as I did for the last chapter...the next one will be up very quickly!!!

lovelove,

Amanda


	4. Tension and Handcuffs?

**A/N1:** Hey my luver-ly readers and reviewers, here's another chapter!! Thanks for all the encouraging reviews, and thank you Karyn for not me due to the previous chapter! ily. Please don't kill me for this chapter either. (Hides in a secluded corner)

**Disclaimer:** Me Amanda. Me no own Fruits Basket. Are we clear?

_**Warning: Umm, mild innuendo. Hehe. Don't get offended please, it's rather ridiculous actually. Just letting you know. Thanks.**_

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**Ch.4**

Brief Recap: **Tohru desperately wanted the guys to stop fighting and to have Kyou tell her what was wrong so she could help him; Yuki just wanted Kyou to stay the hell away from Tohru if his intent was to win her affections; and Kyou wanted Yuki to drop and he wanted Tohru to be his and his alone. Fed up with the silence, Kyou turned on his heel and stormed up to his room, the slam of his door echoing throughout the whole house, and leaving silence in its wake.**

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The next couple of days in the Sohma household were very uncomfortable indeed. Each meal was filled with tension, which you could cut with a 60 dollar knife from Bed and Bath. Despite the aimless chatter from Shigure, Tohru, and even Karyn, who was found to be a guest over at the Sohma's quite often, nothing eased the obvious anger emanating from Yuki and Kyou. It was normal that the two boys were always at wits end with each other, but now it just seemed to have multiplied tenfold. Instead of the usual banter and arguments that would lead to fights, there were just stony glares exchanged. Tohru still wasn't sure as to what happened to make Kyou and Yuki this mad, but she knew that it was because of her somehow.

After about the second week of this awkward silence, Tohru finally decided to speak up.

"I'm so sorry for whatever I did!!! Please don't be mad at each other because of me!!" She wailed miserably. Yuki smiled and was about to reassure her that it wasn't her fault, but Kyou interrupted him.

"Don't be a moron. It's not your fault. It's that damn rat's fault."

"On the contrary, if you would learn to handle your jealousy, then—"

"What the hell? Who said anything about jealousy? I'm not jealous of you, you damn rat!!"

Yuki muttered as he tried to get back to eating his breakfast, "Sure you're not." Kyou heard him and slammed his silverware down on the table.

"What did you say?" He growled dangerously, beginning to stand up. Knowing that a fight was soon to break out, (and even though it would be a nice change from the uncomfortable silence) Tohru looked at Kyou with pleading eyes and motioned for him to sit back down. Kyou hastily obliged and went back to eating. If he was going to start a fight, it would be best to do it out of the house and away from Tohru.

After breakfast was over, Karyn and Shigure went into Shigure's study to do more work. Kyou couldn't care less about what they were doing, Yuki didn't want to know, and Tohru was washing cleaning the house; she had already done the laundry, and the dishes, so she decided to clean up Yuki, Kyou and Shigure's room, and if he and Karyn had left the study, then she wanted to tidy up his study too.

First she went up to Yuki's room, but there wasn't really anything to clean in there. He was relatively organized, and everything was immaculate. Then, she went up to Kyou's room; it was a bit messier than Yuki's but not by much. Tohru dusted, vacuumed, and picked some stuff up off the floor and then she was quickly done. Finally, she went to Shigure's study and timidly knocked on the door. "Shigure, Karyn…?"

When nobody answered, Tohru hesitantly opened the door and looked in. No one was in there, and it was a mess. She went through a routine process: throwing away trash and old food, dusting, sweeping and vacuuming. At last, she only had to fix the couch, the quilt was crumpled up at the foot of it, and the pillows were on the floor while the cushions were uneven. Tohru quickly went about her job peacefully until she reached the couch cushions, she meant to straighten them, but they wouldn't, there was something ender them preventing that. She reached her hand under to get whatever was blocking it, and pulled out a pair of green fuzzy handcuffs. _'Handcuffs? I don't think they are Shigure's. Is Karyn a police officer? And green? Why green and fuzzy? Wouldn't they be silver and hard if they were supposed to handcuff…'_

It suddenly dawned on Tohru what they used the handcuffs for. Having unintentionally read one of Shigure's…more risqué books, she knew exactly what the handcuffs were for. Her pale face began to turn a sickly shade of green, and right when Tohru was about to throw the handcuffs across the room in revulsion, Yuki walked in. He saw what she was holding and his eyes widened. Tohru blushed and started trying to defend herself.

"It's not what it seems, Yuki. These aren't mine, they're Karyn's! I found them when I was cleaning and I was about to put them down and you walked in…" During Tohru's apologetic babbling, Yuki sighed in relief. He never really thought they were hers, but it was always good to get conformation.

"It's ok, Tohru. I believe you. I just came in to ask if you wanted any help with lunch." At the word 'lunch' Tohru freaked out. "I'm so sorry Yuki; I just got so caught up in cleaning. I'll make lunch right away!!" She made to rush out the door, but Yuki stepped in her way and she crashed into his firm body.

"No, everyone can fend for themselves; I made us a picnic lunch. Come on, let's go." Tohru looked a bit apprehensive at leaving Kyou, Karyn, and Shigure to make food for themselves, but even more apprehensive at the fact that Yuki made lunch. She hadn't smelled anything burning, but then again, she had a suspicion that she had caught a cold from her and Yuki's little rendezvous in the rain.

Yuki seemed to sense what had her worried, minus the catching-a-cold part. "Don't worry, I didn't actually cook anything. And there are leftovers for the others to eat while we're gone." He smiled at her and pulled a picnic basket from behind his back. "It's all ready, let's go." Without another word, he laced his fingers with hers and gently pulled Tohru out the door. "Oh, and just leave the—things on the couch. I'm sure Karyn and Shigure will…" Yuki paused to shudder at the thought, "…want them back later." Tohru tossed them on the now tidy couch without a second look back. Then she smiled at Yuki and let him lead her out the door and start on the familiar path up the hill.

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**A/N2:** Hahaha, so Karyn is over there for more than just writing eh? (Don't kill me, Karyn.) Hehe. Don't worry, she's going to do something that Yuki and Tohru will not like...concerning a book...that her and Shigure are working on...in their spare time...haha. Please review everyone!! No flames!! Next update _should_ be soon. I just gotta actually write the next chapter. Loll.

lovelove, Amanda


	5. A Picnic!

**A/N1:** I am so sorry for the long wait. My minor writers block for this chapter is finally gone. I looked at my profile to see when I would update this and then it said January 4th. I looked at the calendar and thought "Holy sht I'd better start typing!" Haha.

**Disclaimer:** Not mine. Duh.

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**Ch.5**

Brief Recap: **"No, everyone can fend for themselves; I made us a picnic lunch. Come on, let's go." Tohru looked a bit apprehensive at leaving Kyou, Karyn, and Shigure to make food for themselves, but even more apprehensive at the fact that Yuki made lunch... **

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To Tohru's surprise the picnic was fantastic. She knew that she would enjoy herself, but she was very wary due to the fact that Yuki was the one who prepared it. The food was all very good though; there was nothing too heavy just light little snacks that were mostly from the garden. Lots of fruits and vegetables, especially strawberries, and there were some rather clumsily made rice balls. Pleasant conversation continued throughout the whole time and all in all, it was a very delightful afternoon.

"I'm thankful that you didn't laugh at me for suggesting a picnic."

"Oh no, of course not! I think a picnic is a lovely way to spend an afternoon. I had so much fun." Tohru exclaimed.

"It was even lovelier because I got to spend it with you." Tohru blushed and looked down. Yuki put his hand under her chin and tilted her face upward to plant a kiss on her lips. Tohru smiled and responded eagerly to his kiss.

_In the house..._

Shigure and Karyn were putting together their album of embarrassing shots of Yuki and Tohru together when the phone rang. He told Karyn to keep going with the album while he talked on the phone.

"Sohma, Shigure." Upon hearing the voice on the other end Shigure grinned playfully. "Oh I know Aya, it's been too long." He paused and listened for a bit before letting out a bark-like laugh, "Well you'll never guess what's going on over here."

_Pause._

"Nope not even close."

_Pause._

"Still no."

_Long pause._

"That's not it, but I'll tell you anyway. There's no way that you would guess this. Do you remember a couple of weeks ago when I called you over here and you saw Yuki and Tohru sleeping together?"

_Pause._

"Yes, I know that was hilarious. Yuki was so mad."

_Pause._

"Well since then, they've apparently formed a relationship and it's very...serious."

_Short pause._

"Yes and Karyn and I are putting together an album of cute moments."

_Pause._

"I don't know. Hold on, let me go check. Hey Karyn, do you know where Yuki and Tohru are right now?"

"I heard him saying something to her about a picnic." She yelled back from the other room.

"Try to find them, I'll bet that they're on that one hill. Don't go out there, just do the best you can from inside." Shigure went back to the phone. "They're on a picnic right now. Isn't that adorable?"

_Pause._

"I think Kyou is jealous. He didn't take it very well at all."

_Pause._

"He's probably sulking in his room right now."

_Pause._

"No, you shouldn't come over now, that'd be bad timing. How about in 2 hours? But in the meantime, you should talk to Hatori and see what he thinks."

_Pause._

"Ok, bye." He hung up the phone and went back in the other room with Karyn. "So what's going on with them?"

"They're pretty...serious. They stopped eating food a while ago. Now they're eating each other. Not literally, but well you look!"

_Back outside..._

Tohru deepened the kiss, wrapping her arms around his neck and gently pushing his back to the ground leaving her body directly on his. Yuki moved the two of them so that he was straddling her, but was careful not to put his full weight on her. Tohru sighed as his lips traced a path of fire down her neck. Afraid of this getting to out-of-hand, Yuki rolled off of her and took her hand in both of his. Tohru smiled in understanding and at the sweet gesture. She squirmed closer to him and put her other arm around his waist and puts her head on his chest, the steady beat of his heart lulling her to sleep.

Soon feeling her even breaths against his chest, Yuki came to the realization she was asleep. Carefully so as not to wake her, he lifted her up and carried her back down to the house bridal-style. He would come back later to pick up the basket and plates later. Once he got to the door he listened and he heard lots of voices, none of them being ones he wanted to hear. He heard Kyou arguing loudly with Shigure and Karyn laughing in the background. _Can't they all just be somewhere else?_ He thought. Then he heard another voice, one he dreaded hearing: the loud and rather obnoxious voice of his brother.

"Gure told me but I had to come see for myself! Where are they?" Yuki had a sick feeling in his stomach; he would bet his bottom dollar that they were talking about Tohru and him.

"I think they're on a picnic, but I'm sure they're on their way back." After taking a deep breath, Yuki walked in with Tohru in his arms, bracing himself for the chaos.

"There they are!!" Ayame said, brandishing his arms about flamboyantly.

"What's wrong with Tohru?" Karyn asked curiously. At these words, Kyou looked down at the bundle in Yuki's arms.

"What did you do to her?" he asked furiously.

"I didn't—"

"I said what the hell did you do to her??" Kyou yelled.

"What's going on?" Tohru asked timidly. She clung to Yuki tighter, not sure of why everyone was around her and yelling.

"You woke her up. Great job." Yuki said crossly. He had a feeling that this would happen, but he wished it hadn't. He was planning on putting her in her bed and telling everyone else to eat out or something. Now that Tohru was up, she would make dinner for everyone and purposely ignore any arguments anyone made against her doing just that.

"Woke her up?"

"Yeah. She was asleep. Do you really think that I would do something to her?" Kyou's guilty silence was enough of an answer. In embarrassment, he stormed up to his room.

"Well this isn't good. How long has he been this...temperamental?"

"Since the day he was born." Yuki muttered incoherently. Only Tohru heard him and she gave him a reproving look. He smiled sheepishly and kissed the top of her head.

"So it IS true!! They are an item!" Ayame grinned and Shigure hid a laugh behind his hand and Yuki rolled his eyes.

"Yuki...? Will you please put me down? I have to go make dinner." Eager for an excuse to leave the hellhole that was the main room, Yuki carried Tohru in the kitchen leaving the other 3 to talk without the two of them.

"Ooh they're so cute!! This brings back memories. Wait until I tell Tori!"

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**A/N2:** Sorta lost my muse for this story...but I will keep going. It's not being discontinued; temporarily or permanently. Expect the next update late January or early February. Please everyone review!!! No flames!!

Lovelove, Amanda


	6. Eavesdroppers

**A/N1:** (goes on hands and knees to beg forgiveness) I am extremely sorry about the wait. It wasn't that I didn't really want to write, nor was it that I didn't know what to write, it was that I wasn't sure HOW to write this chapter.

I will try not to let the wait between chapters be this long again. I want to post a new chapter every 2-3 weeks.

And Winter Formal was going on and I (oddly enough) had a date. So there was TONS of stress that accompanied that seeing as how it was my first official formal and date. Don't ask...please. Unless of course you are genuinely interested...then I will tell you.

**Disclaimer:** Of course Fruits Basket is not mine. Did you even think for a second it was? I hope not. Oh, and the name Rukia is from Bleach and Yori is from Vampire Knight, so I need to 'disclaim' those. No, I don't own Bleach or Vampire Knight.

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**Ch.5**

Brief Recap: **"It was even lovelier because I got to spend it with you." Tohru blushed and looked down. Yuki put his hand under her chin and tilted her face upward to plant a kiss on her lips. Tohru smiled and responded eagerly to his kiss...**

"**I think they're on a picnic, but I'm sure they're on their way back." After taking a deep breath, Yuki walked in with Tohru in his arms, bracing himself for the chaos.**

"**There they are!!" Ayame said, brandishing his arms about...**

"**Yuki...? Will you please put me down? I have to go make dinner." Eager for an excuse to leave the hellhole that was the main room, Yuki carried Tohru in the kitchen leaving the other 3 to talk without the two of them.**

"**Ooh they're so cute!! This brings back memories. Wait until I tell Tori!"**

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Ayame flounced in, unannounced of course, into Hatori's area at the main house. "Haatorrii!!! Where are you? I have the most fan_tastic_ news!!" Hatori appeared from wherever he happened to be and rubbed his head as if he had a terrible migraine, which thanks to Ayame...he probably already did have one.

"What is it?" Hatori asked gruffly. Ayame dramatically put a hand over his heart. "Oh woe is me! My best friend doesn't even want to hear what I have to say!!" He wailed loudly and pretended to blow his nose. "I can see when I'm not wanted." Ayame walked slowly out the door.

"I guess you'll never know..."

"Nope, I guess not." Hatori said with little interest, knowing full well that Ayame would turn back around and tell him. Aya had a flare for the dramatics.

"I'm leaving now...it's your last chance to stop me and get me to tell you..."

"Ok, don't forget to shut the door on your way out." Ayame pouted at his friend's apparent lack of interest.

"Awww 'Tori, you're no fun!!!"

Hatori half-smiled. "I try." Ayame's face dropped.

"Alright Aya. Tell me what you've wanted to tell me since you walked in, and then please leave; I have to check up on Akito."

Ayame's normally bright and cheerful face and demeanor darkened instantly at the mention of Akito Sohma, the (somewhat literal) bane of their existence. He looked as if he was about to say something scathingly, but Hatori slapped his hand over his cousin's mouth. "Shh, it would be prudent to not say anything you might regret. You never know who is listening."  
Ayame removed Hatori's hand from his mouth and laughed too loud to be entirely plausible.

"Oh 'Tori, you are so funny!" In hushed tones he whispered: You're getting quite paranoid you know." Hatori just glared at Aya's easygoing manner.

"You had something you wanted to tell me?"

**(Same room, but hidden from Hatori and Ayame.) **

Two cleaning maids whispered in the corner, not wanting to be heard.

"What do you suppose is going on?" The taller one whispered to her companion.

"I really don't know. Do you think that it's something bad?"

"I have no idea, let's wait and find out. As long as we have something in our hands that projects the illusion of working, then we'll be ok if anyone finds us."

**(Back to Hatori and Ayame) **

"Yes! And you'll never believe it!! You know how awhile ago we went to Shigure's and we brought everyone along because Tohru and Yuki were sleeping together?"

He would never admit to anyone, not even to himself, but Hatori's interest was immediately peaked.

"Yeah, what about that?" He asked in a blasé manner.

"Well..." Ayame trailed off.

"Well what?"

"Well now they are in a relationship!! Isn't that wonderful??" Hatori just gaped at his friend.

"Are you sure about this? If you are saying this and merely relying on the words of Shigure, I suggest you ask Yuki himself before believing anything."

"No I saw it with my own two eyes!!" Ayame declared. "They were on a picnic together this afternoon and Yuki carried her in the house in his arms!!!! I'm not kidding. There's something major going on!!"

"If you say so; but before I believe anything I'm going to ask Yuki." The sensible doctor said calmly.

"Ohhhh Tori!! It pains me so that you don't believe me!!! I thought we were friends!!" Ayame fake wept very dramatically.

"Aya, you must stop being so over-dramatic. I must go tend to Akito. I'll see you later."

"Goodbye Tori. You must stop by Gure's though, and then you'll know I'm right." With those final words, Ayame flounced out the door and headed back to Shigure's. _Yes, _Hatori thought as he headed to where Akito was,_ Aya certainly does have a flare for the dramatics._

**(Back to the two cleaning maids) **

"I don't believe it!! Can you believe it Rukia?"

"Believe what?"

"What those two were talking about."

"Oh sure, but I don't see what you find so unbelievable." Her companion sighed in resignation.

"You really don't see the connection do you?"

"What connection??"

"Oh never mind you're impossible. Quick let's go, we must go tell this to Hiyo." The taller one quickly and quietly started walking away.

"Wait for me Yori! You walk way too fast." Yori looked over her shoulder and laughed at Rukia.

"Nonsense, you just walk very slowly." They hurried to where they were supposed to be in the first place as opposed to eavesdropping, and beckoned to their companion to stand by them.

"Where were you two? We were _all_ supposed to clean over here." Hiyo said impatiently, putting emphasis on the 'all.' Yori waved off her friend's concern nonchalantly, "Oh believe me...in a couple of minutes you won't care about that. Guess what we just heard!!"

Hiyo looked at Yori as if she were a mildly interesting television program. "What?"

"Do you remember that little boy who was about 5 years old that lived here a long time ago and looked like very...feminine?"

"Yes. Wasn't his name Yuki?"

"Yeah; and do you remember how Akito favored him? He would always take Yuki to that room in the back that no one else was allowed to go in, and we weren't even allowed to clean in there."

Hiyo sighed. "I really don't see how this is relevant to anything."

"Hold on, she's getting to the best part!" Rukia chimed in helpfully.

"Well," Yuri continued, "that day he left do you remember how furious Akito was?" The trio shivered in remembrance. "He said something about making sure that Yuki would never be able to escape family curses. Now we heard that he's sleeping with this , I think her name is Tohru, who is currently living in Shigure's house with not only him and Yuki, but Kyou too!!! Remember Kyou, the little boy who had the really bright red hair?"

Hiyo's eyes widened to saucers. "Are you kidding!?!"

"Nope not at all, I'm serious." Hiyo changed her expression to one of suspicion.

"And are you sure this information is accurate?"

"Yes, I'm positive; we overheard Ayame, Yuki's brother, telling this to Hatori, the doctor that always looks after Akito."

"So Yuki is sleeping with Tohru. Do they have a relationship or is it just a fling?" Despite her previous protests, she really did want to know.

"Apparently, Shigure caught them in bed together and gathered everyone over to take pictures and tease the two of them with. After that I think they became really serious and started "dating."

"We even heard that they were on a picnic!! Isn't that romantic?" The three sighed happily.

Hiyo, not wanting to be fired, quickly broke the mood. "Come on you two, we do need to get something done. We can't talk all afternoon." She hurried over to the cleaning supplies and Yori and Rukia reluctantly followed after her.

After hearing the three gossipy maids exchanged their chatter and leave, Akito stepped out of the corner he was standing in, listening silently. To say that he was furious would be a gentle euphemism. "So she sleeps with him and THEN they are "in a relationship!?" That wench! How dare that insolent child even think she could take my—_family_ away from me, and how dare Yuki believe he could escape me. Oh no. I will make sure they pay." Akito grinned wickedly to himself as he devised his plan. "I will make him wish that I had both. He will rue the day he fell in love with _Miss Tohru Honda_." Akito finished scathingly before calling for a maid to deliver a message from him to Tohru Honda at Shigure's house.

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**A/N2:** This is an official AU for obvious reasons I'm not going to say. If you've read the whole manga, then you know what I mean. Mmkay...please review. No flames. My next update should be soon..

Lovelove, Amanda


	7. SelfPity and a Note!

**A/N:** Oh wow. I am SO, SO, SO, SOOO sorry about the gap between updates!!!! I feel so bad!!! I hope that I haven't lost any readers... Since I started getting further into Deepest Desire, this story has sorta gone on the back burner.

**Disclaimer:** No, Fruits Basket is not mine! And the underlined quote I found on the internet.

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**Ch.7**

Brief Recap: **He looked as if he was about to say something scathingly, **[regarding Akito** but Hatori slapped his hand over his cousin's mouth. "Shh, it would be prudent to not say anything you might regret. You never know who is listening."  
Ayame removed Hatori's hand from his mouth and laughed too loud to be entirely plausible. "Oh 'Tori, you are so funny!" In hushed tones he whispered: You're getting quite paranoid you know." Hatori just glared at Aya's easygoing manner.**

"**Well now they **[Tohru and Yuki** are in a relationship!! Isn't that wonderful??" Hatori just gaped at his friend.**

"**Are you sure about this? If you are saying this and merely relying on the words of Shigure, I suggest you ask Yuki himself before believing anything."**

**Akito grinned wickedly to himself as he devised his plan. "I will make him wish that I had both. He will rue the day he fell in love with **_**Miss Tohru Honda**_**." Akito finished scathingly before calling for a maid to deliver a message from him to Tohru Honda at Shigure's house.**

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

After Hatori finished the last of the work that he had for the day, Ayame convinced him to go with him to Shigure's, just to prove his point that Tohru and Yuki were in fact, an item. Before they left though, Akito called Hatori in and asked him to give a note to Tohru. Even driving there, Hatori was nervous. Whatever was in the note couldn't be good. It certainly couldn't and _wouldn't_ be good wishes. Hatori and Ayame went in and found Yuki, Tohru, Kyou, Shigure and Karyn all sitting and talking.

Wordlessly, Hatori walked over to Tohru and handed her the note. Upon closer inspection, he noticed that Yuki had his arm around her waist and that she was leaning on him. Then the wise doctor turned his glance to Kyou who was sitting across the room and glaring bullets into Yuki's head. Yes, there was no doubt in his mind that the two were a couple. His sympathies went immediately to Kyou; even he knew how fond Kyou was of Tohru. _To lose her to Yuki must be devastating, especially with their rivalry and all._

Tohru looked curiously at the note and Yuki glanced at it too over Tohru's shoulder. After seeing the handwriting, his eyes widened and he excused himself and Tohru from the room. Everyone else all followed secretly, due to Karyn and Shigure's idea of bringing a video camera to find out what was going on.

Tohru gazed at Yuki in confusion. "What's wrong? Why did we leave?" Her look changed to one of concern, "Are you ok?"

Yuki opened his mouth but nothing came out. The second try was successful. "Tohru...the note isn't from Hatori. It's from Akito." The two looked fearfully at the note, not sure of what could be in it.

"There's only one way to find out what's in it. We have to open it. My mom always said to _never fear shadows. They only mean that there is a light shining nearby_." She smiled lovingly at Yuki, "It'll be ok, and we'll find the light." She opened it halfway when Yuki laid his hand over hers.

"Wait. Don't open it yet." He got up from his spot next to her on his bed and started pacing around the room. "This isn't how I wanted this to happen." he muttered.

"What? How you wanted what to happen? I'm terribly confused."

"Hold on a second." Yuki rummaged in a drawer, pulled something out and turned to Tohru. "I imagined this completely different and better. You deserve something fantastic. But to be honest, I'm scared of what's in that note from Akito, so I'm going to do this now." He knelt down before her. "I love you Tohru Honda and I really don't think I could live without you. Will you marry me?"

Tohru gasped and tears started to well up in her eyes. She nodded yes and she hugged him happily. He lifted her in his arms and kissed her softly on the lips.

"Now, let's see what Akito has to say."

**OTHER ROOM WHERE EVERYONE IS HIDDEN AND SPYING!!!**

"Aww that was so sweet!!! I told you 'Tori that they were together!! I told you, I told you!!!"

Hatori rubbed his temples. "Yes Aya, you did."

"But how's that for a mood killer? Will you marry me...now let's see what the evil of the century has to say! Good lord, although he is very smart in school, Yuki can be one donut short of a dozen. That totally ruined the moment." Said Karyn cheerfully, "Did you get that on tape, Shigure?"

"Yes I did. And I'm still taping so don't talk." The group looked around the room; they all expected Kyou to say something angrily in response to Shigure's order, but he was nowhere to be seen.

"Awww that's so sad. Poor Kyou. He loved Tohru, and I'm sure he still does. And if you think about it, he has the rivalry with Yuki and now Yuki has won everything that really mattered to both of them. He won Tohru, the one whom they both loved. How tragic." Karyn said sadly. The men in the room looked at her as if she was crazy.

"What? I do pay attention. I've been hanging around here enough to know what's going on. I'm not retarded." She paused and looked out the window, knowing instinctively that Kyou was on the roof. "I wish that I could go and give Kyou a hug." Shigure stopped his vigil at the camera lens and glared slightly at Karyn. She smiled sheepishly and tried to fix her previous statement. "But...why hug a cat when you can...hug a dog." She pecked Shigure's cheek and he looked slightly mollified. Hatori and Ayame exchanged surprised glances, but didn't speak.

**THE ROOF!!!!!!**

Kyou lay on the roof, with his arms cushioning his head. He was truly miserable. _Why is this happening to me?? This sucks. Why does that damn rat have to win every single time?? Isn't it my turn to win, just this once? There are so many who would love to be in a relationship with him, and he has to take the only one that I want. The only one! Does he have some goal in life to hurt me? Cause if he does, he sure accomplished it! Why me?? Why Tohru? __Couldn't he have picked someone else!? Anybody would have been better, and anyone at school would be falling over his feet just to be in his presence. But no; he had to fall in love with the only one who has my heart. He had to love Tohru and Tohru just HAD to love him back. Why wouldn't she? Everyone does, everyone loves Yuki, and nobody loves the monster. Who could love a monster like me anyway? His life is already perfect. Does he have to ruin mine to make his complete? Why did he have to take away the only thing I live for? _

Kyou didn't like wallowing in self-pity and feeling sorry for himself. He always thought that it was a waste of time. Instead of continuing his angry and miserable thoughts, which he could keep going for hours, he jumped off the roof and landed safely due to his catlike reflexes, and started running. He didn't know where he would go, but he just needed to run.

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**NOTE: **Underlined quote is not mine. It's a quote I found online.

**A/N2:** Don't you feel bad for Kyou? I know that I do!! Ok so, there are 2-4 more chapters left. I might do an epilogue and I might not, it all depends. As of now, I'm not planning on one, but when I started this story, I was. So I may change my mind. Please, _please_ review!!! No flames.

I want to finish this story before April. Spring break is approaching, so I want to update once before that, and maybe once or twice during the break. (Ahh crap, I have swim practice during spring break. How lame!!!)

Again, please review! No flames!!!

Lovelove, Amanda


	8. Opening the Note

A/N: Wow, I've been terrible at updating in general

**A/N:** Wow, I've been terrible at updating in general. I am very sorry. It seems as if I have been taking a writing FF hiatus. Either that or:

a) Major writers block

b) A lack of motivation

c) My lazy self

d) Too much stress and pressure

e) All of the above.

Correct Answer: E

**IMPORTANT!! In the story that this is a sequel to, **_**If There Be Thunder**_**, I said something about the curse being lifted. Well...it is lifted but I'm going to add to that. They can still change into their animal forms whenever. (Ack I really don't want to have them be able to do that, because its so...idk...but yeah, they can.)**

**Disclaimer:** (oozing sarcasm) I own Fruits Basket. (end sarcasm) Please note oozing sarcasm.

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**Ch.8**

Brief Recap: **"Tohru...the note isn't from Hatori. It's from Akito." The two looked fearfully at the note, not sure of what could be in it. **

"**There's only one way to find out what's in it. We have to open it. My mom always said to **_**never fear shadows. They only mean that there is a light shining nearby**_**." She smiled lovingly at Yuki, "It'll be ok, and we'll find the light." She opened it halfway when Yuki laid his hand over hers. **

**He knelt down before her. "I love you Tohru Honda and I really don't think I could live without you. Will you marry me?"**

**Tohru gasped and tears started to well up in her eyes. She nodded yes and she hugged him happily. He lifted her in his arms and kissed her softly on the lips. **

**Kyou didn't like wallowing in self-pity and feeling sorry for himself. He always thought that it was a waste of time. Instead of continuing his angry and miserable thoughts, which he could keep going for hours, he jumped off the roof and landed safely due to his catlike reflexes, and started running. He didn't know where, but he just needed to run.**

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Tohru almost had the note opened, but Yuki stopped her, again. "Wait, I think that everyone else should be here to see the note. It might be better in the long run. Besides, it'd be less painful to only have to read the note once." Tohru nodded in agreement.

"You're right. Let's go join them."

The group of spies, more specifically Shigure and Karyn, had little time to stash the camera and act completely nonchalant. Upon entering the room, Yuki narrowed his eyes. He didn't believe for one second that that group was as innocent as they seemed to be, especially his older brother and Shigure. Nothing was ever innocent with them.

"Did you read the note?" Shigure asked with a mischievous twinkle in his eyes. "Or was there something else you had to do?" He looked pointedly at Tohru's hand; she looked at her feet and blushed.

"No." Yuki snapped, interrupting the cries of 'congratulations' that he was positive were about to stream out of his older brother's mouth. "We didn't. We decided that you should be here also when we open it. It's clear to everyone that it wouldn't and doesn't contain well-wishes."

Ayame patted the two open spots next to him and motioned for the newly engaged couple to have a seat. They both obliged and Tohru began again to open the note until she realized that Kyou wasn't present. Her eyes widened and she looked concerned.

"Where is Kyou? Why isn't he here?" Nobody would meet her eyes and give her an answer, they all just looked solemn. Even Yuki looked a bit worried for he understood what was eating at the cat. Karyn was the first to speak. "He's on the roof." Tohru brightened.

"Ok, why don't I go get him?"

"NO!" Everyone in the room chimed simultaneously, much to Tohru's confusion.

"It's...probably best that he didn't speak to anyone right now—especially you."  
Tohru became frantic.

"Why? Did I do something wrong? Is he angry with me? I really don't want him to be angry. But why would he be, I don't think I upset him did I?" Karyn looked slightly uncomfortable and for once, wasn't sure of what to say.

"He's not in the best of moods. It's ok Tohru, he'll come around." The doctor said soothingly. That didn't do much to help the distraught riceball but she relaxed visibly with Yuki's arm around her, trying to comfort her. After four different attempts, Tohru opened the note with no interruptions. She read it quietly to herself.

**Miss Honda—**

**I would very much appreciate it if you would come to the main house to have tea with me tomorrow. And please—it would be in your best interests to come unescorted. **

**Akito**

Tohru's face blanched and her hands began to shake. Yuki gently took the note from her hands and read it aloud, all the while his face turning a shade of grey-ish white that put Aya's hair to shame. There was a silence after Yuki read the note, everyone was struggling to say something positive that would cheer Tohru up and ease her worries. But the 'come unescorted' part was the most worrisome of the whole thing. Akito would find out if someone escorted her because he had maids everywhere. Surely they would report to him if they saw someone following her. It was Karyn who finally spoke.

"Well that means you can't have _people_ come with you right?" Tohru nodded, not seeing where the older female was going with this. "What if you had a small animal—say a rat or a snake—hidden on your person or following you. Would he notice then?" Tohru's eyes lit up as did everyone else's'.

"That's brilliant Karyn! See this is why I keep you around." Shigure looked pleased with himself.

"Only for my brilliance?" She glared pointedly.

"And a few other reasons..." Shigure amended.

"So who should go? The only ones who have animal forms small enough to either follow undetected or to hide on her actual person are Yuki and Ayame. I am small enough, but I would need water so that's not going to work." Hatori commented.

"I volunteer!! It would be my honor to assist my younger brother's future bride in anyway I can. Consider it done!"

"NO. Absolutely not! I can go. If it's a choice between the two of us, then I think that I should go. Tohru is after all," he looked at her happily, "my future bride." Tohru blushed.

"Hey, here's an idea. How about _Tohru_ chooses who goes with her?" Hatori said dryly, "After all, she's the one who has to go; it would make sense for her to choose her companion."

"Aww but then she's going to choose Yuki! I never get to do anything to help my younger brother. If I went I'd be helping Tohru, and then by extension, helping Yuki!!" Aforementioned younger brother just glared.

"Umm I really don't think I should pick who goes." Tohru nervously added to the conversation.

"Of course you should. Like Hatori said, you're the one who has to go, so it makes sense that you pick who goes with you." Karyn said calmingly.

"I can't pick both of them can I?" Everyone in the room shook their heads. "Ok then I guess I pick...

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**A/N2:** I'm sorry about the slightly over 3 month gap and for leaving the chapter at that point. Vote in a review!! Should she pick Yuki or Ayame? Vote, vote, vote!!

**IMPORTANT!! In the story that this is a sequel to, **_**If There Be Thunder**_**, I said something about the curse being lifted. Well...it is lifted but I'm going to add to that. They can still change into their animal forms whenever. (Ack I really don't want to have them be able to do that, because its so...idk...but yeah, they can.)**

Please review and vote! No pointless flames, but constructive criticism is welcome!!

Lovelove, Amanda


	9. Of Much Importance

**SEPTEMBER 14th 2008_--Chapter 9 is up, but it's marked as chapter 10! I was going to replace this with the next chapter, but then the alert wouldn't go out as a new chapter...I don't think. So sorry for the confusion and the multiple update notices!! Thanks for your patience!_**

* * *

**Author's Note:**

**No, don't worry I'm not discontinuing this story. There's no way I would do that, especially since I am so close to the finish. **

**But I have this up here to tell you that I will not be updating for an even longer period of time than it's been now. Let me explain: I will be the first to admit that I am a horrible updater as far as this story is concerned. To prevent that in the future chapters, I have decided to write out the rest of the story before I post the next chapter. This is, I will admit, what I should have done from the start.**

**It won't be too, too much longer. Not like 2 months or anything...I have some of chapter 9 written and I have my ideas for the ending chapters. I'm just saying it might be another 2 weeks at the least and another month at the most. **

**Again, I've been a horrible updater for this story and I am truly sorry!! I hope I haven't lost any more readers and reviewers than I already have.**

**Oh and **_**please don't review this note.**_** When I update with chapter 9, I'm going to replace this with the chapter. Thanks.**

**lovelove, ****Amanda**


	10. Worrisome Times

**A/N:** _Oh_ _my_ _goodness._ I am so very sorry for the terribly long wait for this chapter. There is really no suitable excuse. I can't say I was on fanfic hiatus because I updated some other stories. So please accept my deepest apologies!

**Disclaimer:** Umm last I checked I didn't own Furuba; I'm not going to check again...why get my hopes up? I will never have 'ownage' of Fruits Basket.

_**Oh, and this is officially where it's totally AU. If it wasn't made clear before, then it should be now. THIS STORY IS AU!**_

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**Ch.9**

Brief Recap of chapter 8:

**Miss Honda—**

**I would very much appreciate it if you would come to the main house to have tea with me this afternoon. And please—it would be in your best interests to come unescorted. **

**Akito**

XxXxXxX

"**I can't pick both of them can I?" Everyone in the room shook their heads. "Okay then I guess I pick...**

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

"...Ayame." Everyone's eyes widened at Tohru's announcement and their heads swiveled in Yuki's direction to see how he would take this. His face had gone pale.

"Tohru, you can't be serious. Aya? My brother over me? But—I don't understand..." Yuki looked absolutely devastated. "Why?" he asked again. Tohru wouldn't meet his eyes and instead chose to concentrate her gaze on the floor. A tear trickled down her cheek and fell onto the table; Karyn, Ayame and Hatori took that as their cue to leave. Shigure, however, didn't move. Karyn glared at him and when he still didn't get up she dragged him out by his ear.

"Don't ever mess with someone who has red hair." Hatori whispered wisely to Aya. "They have quite the tempers and you do not want to get on their bad side!"

In the other room, more tears were making their way down Tohru's face. Yuki lifted her chin and made her look at him.

"Why are you crying?" He asked her, concern heavy in his voice. Tohru sniffed before answering him.

"I don't want you to be mad at me." Yuki chuckled before proceeding to wipe away her tears.

"I'm not mad at you. I just don't understand why you would choose my brother over me. Will you please explain?" Tohru whispered something in a barely audible voice. Yuki had to strain his ears to hear it and even so, he still couldn't understand.

"Tohru, I didn't quite catch that."

"I said that I didn't want you to get hurt by Akito because you went with me." The tears streamed down her face as she continued. "I wouldn't be able to live with myself if Akito caused you any more pain because of me. I'm not worth it; I'm not worth you having to re-live your memories of Akito. It's better if Ayame goes." Yuki was touched by her concern for him and that, despite how bad the situation was, she still managed to put his well-being above her own.

"Nothing will happen to me, you shouldn't be worried. I should be worried about you, and I am. You have no idea what Akito can do; Tohru, even if something did happen to me, you _are_ worth it. You have to believe me; a life without you isn't a life at all. I don't think I'd be able to stand it if you were harmed and it could have been avoided if I had been with you. Please let me go with you." Tohru sobbed openly now, and buried her head in Yuki's chest. He rubbed soft circles on her back slowly and let her cry herself out. Tohru hiccoughed and looked up at Yuki, her eyes still shining with tears. "Just please be careful." She pleaded. He kissed the top of her head lightly.

"I love you Tohru."

**XXX**

"So are you three clear on what the plan is?" Yuki, Ayame and Tohru nodded stiffly. "Okay then." Karyn continued, "Just remember, don't be seen," she said as she addressed the two brothers. "And Tohru, be careful." Tohru acknowledged Karyn and without another word the three walked out the door. With solemn faces that matched the ones of those in the house watching them leave, Yuki, Tohru and Ayame started on their trip to the main house.

"I hope they'll be okay. Who knows what Akito is capable of?" Karyn said in a nervous tone.

"Yuki knows." Shigure said seriously, for once not joking around. Hatori nodded in agreement with the dog.

"That he does. I hope he understands what he, Miss Honda, and Aya are getting into." Hatori said calmly. The group sat in silence for a moment, absorbed in their own thoughts, all of them silently praying that the trio would return no worse for the wear.

"Well," Karyn started, trying to ease the somber mood that had fallen over the group, "at least only Hatori can erase memories!" Hatori and Shigure all looked at each other in fear and Karyn's statement was contradicted, despite the fact that not a word was spoken.

**XXX**

The group made their way to the main house somberly. Once they had reached the gate that separated the Sohma property from the outside they stopped. Tohru whimpered in fear and Yuki squeezed her hand.

"It will all be fine Tohru, don't worry." She nodded. "Aya, are you ready?"

"No. But I'm going to have to be." Ayame was more serious than Yuki had ever seen him; there was no trace of his usual flamboyance. The two brothers willingly transformed into their animal forms and Tohru picked them both up. She put Yuki in her right pocket and Ayame in her left. Taking a deep breath she opened the gate and walked through to the biggest building where she knew that Akito was waiting. Before she went in, Tohru took Aya out of her pocket and placed him on a windowsill. Yuki, however, she kept in her pocket as she opened the door and was greeted by a servant.

"You must be Miss Honda."

"Yes."

"Follow me; Akito is waiting for you in the tea room." When the servant led her into a room that had the window that she'd placed the snake on—exactly as planned—she cheered. So far the plan was working.

"Akito will be in momentarily."

"Thank you." The servant nodded and left the room. Tohru meandered aimlessly about the room while she waited for Akito. Not more than two minutes had passed when she heard the door creak open.

"Hello Miss Honda; or may I call you Tohru?" The voice of Akito sent shivers of fear down her spine. Tohru turned to face the one who caused Yuki so much pain, the one who had enjoyed making his childhood miserable, and managed to smile sweetly at him, belying her fear and strong dislike of him.

"Tohru is fine."

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**A/N2:** The part with Yuki and Tohru towards the beginning was mushy...it is actually unlike me to get _th-aaat_ mushy...but I liked it. I hope you did too!! Please review or leave constructive criticism. No flames! And I will try to get chapter 10 written ASAP!

_**Oh, and this is officially where it's totally AU. If it wasn't made clear before, then it should be now. THIS STORY IS AU!**_

lovelove, Amanda


	11. An Unconventional Tea Party

**A/N:** Thank the Lord! This is the final chapter!!! Woot! So, I know I've lost almost every single reviewer I started out with but please, if you are still reading this, PLEASE review.

**Disclaimer:** Not mine. Don't ask again.

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**Ch.9**

Brief Recap of chapter 9:

"**Well," Karyn started, trying to ease the somber mood that had fallen over the group, "at least only Hatori can erase memories!" Ayame, Hatori and Shigure all looked at each other in fear and Karyn's statement was contradicted, despite the fact that not a word was spoken.**

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"**Hello Miss Honda; or may I call you Tohru?" The voice of Akito sent shivers of fear down her spine. Tohru turned to face the one who caused Yuki so much pain—and enjoyed making his childhood miserable—and she managed to smile sweetly, belying her fear and strong dislike of him. **

"**Tohru is fine."**

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"Very well then; Tohru, would you like some tea?" Tohru was stunned for a moment. Was Akito seriously asking her if she wanted tea of all things?

"Um, okay."

Akito gestured to a spot that had a teapot and two medium sized tea cups. Tohru hesitantly sat down and took one of the teacups. Just to be safe, she took the one opposite of where she was sitting. She doubted that there would be anything lethal in Akito's cup.

"Hmm, you are so suspicious of me. I find that rather sad, but I suppose that it is my fault." Tohru didn't comment. All she wanted to do was get up and walk right out of this room. This whole situation was very uncomfortable for her.

"But I digress. There is in fact, a point to this visit. We can do this the easy way or the hard way: how much would it take?"

"What do you mean?"

Akito started to look impatient. "How much would I need to give you for you to leave and forget about Yuki? I don't want you here interfering with my _family, _so how much would it take for you to leave?"

"There isn't anything on this earth that would have me even entertaining the notion of leaving Yuki." Tohru said firmly.

"You are choosing the hard way. Now why is that? This could all be so easy if you would just name your price and walk out of the Sohma lives forever."

"Because I love Yuki and I would rather die than leave him."

Fury flashed in Akito's eyes at Tohru's statement. He roughly grabbed the cup out her hands and threw it on the ground. It broke and shards of glass went flying. A large one flew across Tohru's cheek. She gasped as blood slowly dripped out of the rather large cut.

"I'm sure that could be arranged." As the meaning of Akito's harsh words sunk in, Tohru gasped. She stood up and back away from Akito. Doing all but turning and running, she found her way to the door and tried to pull it open. It was locked! She was trapped. Tohru started feeling helpless and dizzy; this was not looking good for her at all.

Meanwhile, a small white rat chewed through the paper in the door. Once a small hole was made, it, and a small snake crawled through the hole.

The gash on Torhu's cheek, now bleeding freely, began to throb painfully. A feral smile, as that of a mountain lion stalking some type of prey, twisted onto Akito's face as he walked towards her.

"Are you sure? Are you really willing to pay that much of a sacrifice?"

Tears made their way down Tohru's face and dripped onto her blouse. "Yes." She quavered.

Nearly blinded by his fury, Akito yanked Tohru's arm and pulled her away from the door. "Foolish child. Did you honestly think I would allow you to live? No matter what you say, after today, you will not be a part of Yuki's life anymore. You have done enough damage. You have turned my family against me and broke the only tie I had to them." He pushed her down and her head banged against the hard wooden floor. She turned her head away from the horrid man, smearing the mixture of blood and tears everywhere.

"Are you sure you want to go on like this? Do you really want to stick with your decision?" Tohru hesitated before shaking her head.

"I knew you'd see it my way. You remember meeting our beloved Yuki, yes?" Tohru nodded.

"What is the best memory you have of Yuki, the one that you will treasure above all others?"

Tohru smiled as the memory of the two of them in the rain played though her head. Just as suddenly as she remembered it, it was gone. A flash of black in her mind and she couldn't even recall what she was thinking about.

"I see, and what is your favorite thing to do together?"

The secret base and their strawberries planted themselves in her mind. But then, they too were gone and replaced by blackness. What was happening?!

"How...quaint. It's been said that your first memory of someone, is the most important one you will have of them no matter what happens in the future and it's the one that makes you remember them the most. So, that leads me to ask you: what is the first memory you have of Yuki?"

Torhu's mind flashed to when she had stumbled across the painted Zodiac creatures. A small grin played on her face when she remembered talking to Shigure about the Cat and the Dog of the Zodiac. A chuckle wormed its way out of her when Yuki, in his school uniform, appeared and hit his older cousin on the head with his backpack. He opened his mouth to say something but the memory was gone.

Triumph was visible on all of Akito's features. "Tohru?"

"Yes?" She replied robotically from her spot on the ground. It was safer for her not to move, for Akito might just shove her down again.

"Who do you love?"

"My mom."

"I see. And who gave you that ring on your finger?"

"Yuki." Akito frowned in displeasure.

"What is the funniest thing that Yuki has done?"

Tohru pictured him in the dress that the senior class had him wear. In a flash, that memory was gone too.

"Who gave you that ring?"

"I, I don't...know." This answer seemed to make Akito happy.

"Who's house are you living at?"

"Shigure's and Kyou's." If the previous answer made him happy, this one seemed to make him absolutely joyful.

"Does anyone else live there?"

"Yuki." Akito's face dropped and he kicked Tohru in the ribs before asking her another question.

"Did you ever see Yuki transform?"

Tohru remembered the first time, when it wasn't just him; it was Shigure and Kyou too. The whole thing was a mistake; none of it was supposed to happen. Kyou and Yuki were fighting and—and then, blackness.

"Who else lives in that house with you other than Shigure and Kyou?"

"Nobody."

"Who gave you that ring?" Akito demanded.

"I don't know."

"What is the name of your boyfriend?"

"I don't have one." At long last, Akito looked appeased.

"So what are you going to tell Yuki when you leave here?"

"Who is Yuki?" Tohru questioned.

Akito flashed her a sinister smile as he verbalized his final quesion. "What is the name of the ex-Zodiac rat?"

For that question, Tohru didn't give him an answer. Satisfied at his job, Akito kicked Tohru a couple more times for good measure, and then started to walk out of the room. He was almost out the door when Tohru moved. He turned around and studied her as if she were a mildly interesting television program.

"H-His name is Yuki." She stumbled slightly over her words.

Instantly seething with anger, Akito stormed back over to Tohru and wrenched her arm to pull her up.

"What did you say?"

"I said...his name is Yuki." She said this with difficulty; each word she uttered caused her to wince from the pain. Akito dragged her by the arm across the room; Tohru yelped as the searing pain coursed through her body and refused to leave. When he got to the door, Akito shoved her through it, paper, wood and all. On the other side of the door lay Tohru, severly bruised and beaten. Akito reached down, perhaps to hit her again, or perhaps to stroke her cheek, when a hand jerked him back.

"Do not touch her; don't you ever lay one of your filthy hands on her ever again. I will not hesitate to kill you."

A tiny smile curled onto Tohru's lips as she saw the face of her savior. "Yuki." she murmured as she blissfully shifted out of reality and into a kinder, gentler, and much less painful place otherwise known as unconsciousness.

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**A/N2:** The end. Yes, I am totally serious, that is the end. Want an epilogue? Just say so in a review! I really, really want to know what you thought!

Kudos to anyone who can figure out what movie this was partially inspired from.

lovelove, Amanda


	12. Epilogue

**A/N:** While one of you didn't want an epilogue (cough, Erica, cough), the majority of you did. So therefore, here is an epilogue! This will expound on some details.

**Disclaimer:** No, I don't own Fruits Basket, but I DO own a copy of all the manga volumes that are in English. Hells yeah! March '09 baby! Volume 22!

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**Ch.9**

Brief Recap of chapter 9:

"**Do not touch her; don't you ever lay one of your filthy hands on her ever again. I will not hesitate to kill you."**

**A tiny smile curled onto Tohru's lips as she saw the face of her savior. "Yuki." she murmured as she blissfully shifted out of reality and into a kinder, gentler, and much less painful place otherwise known as unconsciousness.**

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All she could see was darkness. She tried to open her mouth to speak but she couldn't. She tried to open her eyes to see where she was and what happened to her. She searched her mind for any helpful memory that could tell her where she might be. It was futile. She was lost, alone and scared and had no idea what to do. Tears of despair slowly fell down her cheeks; that's when she heard it.

"Dammit! You selfish rat, this is entirely your fault! If it weren't for you, Tohru would be okay right now!"

At the sound of Kyou's voice, Tohru's heart leaped into her chest. So she was alive! But why wouldn't her body respond to anything?

"Shut up. Shut up you wretched excuse of a life. She will be fine, now leave." Yuki said firmly, trying to maintain his façade of confidence. In reality, he knew no such thing. All he knew was that Tohru was not awake right now and that she might not wake up, ever. He couldn't even bear to think about it, so he didn't.

"Hell no! I won't leave and you can't make me! I'm just as worried about her as you are you rat; and I'm not even the one who endangered her life! If anyone should leave, you should."

Yuki looked at the floor and didn't respond. For once in his life, Kyou had a point. It was his fault. He shouldn't have let Tohru see Akito. He should have done everything in his power to stop her. Instead, he led her to Akito and just watched him attack her as the cowardly rat he was. _I don't deserve Tohru at all._

At that moment, Hatori walked in. "Kyou, we know you're worried about her, but I'm going to have to make you leave. Your yelling is not only disturbing the others in the hospital but it is also hindering Tohru's ability to wake up."

Yuki glowered at his hot-tempered cousin. "Leave now or I will not hesitate to throw you out." Kyou grumbled and walked out without a fight. It pained him to do so, but he'd rather give up a fight for one day than have Tohru unconscious for a day.

As soon as the cat was out of hearing range Hatori's lips quirked upwards as he looked at Yuki. "It wasn't really affecting Tohru, but I knew that you'd want to be alone with her when she wakes up. The doctors are anticipating her coming back to us within the next hour and a half or so."

Yuki's shoulders sagged in utmost relief. "Thank you, Hatori."

About an hour later, Tohru's eyes slowly opened and adjusted to her surroundings. It seemed to her that she was in a hospital room: there were at least half a dozen machines hooked up to her steadily beeping away and she noticed that there were bandages all over her body.

She looked along her bed and smiled. Yuki was sitting in an uncomfortable chair at her bedside. His head was leaning on the frame of her bed and his hand gently held one of hers, the one that wasn't completely covered in bandages. She tried to squeeze it slightly. To her surprise, and to Yuki's, she succeeded. At the light squeeze of his hand, Yuki's eyes snapped open and he looked at Tohru who had a small little smile on her face.

"Hey Yuki."

"Tohru!" He gasped. "Oh thank goodness you're okay; I was so worried about you. I thought—I thought that I had lost you."

"It would take more than Akito for me to ever leave you. I can't have been in here for too long. I mean, this must be the first day, right?"

Yuki shook his head. "Tohru, you've been in a coma for three days!" Her eyes widened and she immediately started to apologize profusely.

"Oh no! I'm so sorry, hospitals are expensive! You can take me out now and I can finish getting better back at home. I can't pay for this." She coughed from trying to talk so much after her vocal cords hadn't been used for so long and grimaced at the dryness of her throat. She tried to hide it; after all, she didn't want Yuki to see her in pain and worry about her.

"Absolutely not. You must stay at the hospital as long as necessary. I am paying for your treatments. Anything that is helping you could never be a waste of money. You'll stay right here until Hatori and the doctor here say that it's okay for you leave. Not a minute sooner." He glanced at her lovingly, "And please, don't talk too much. You'll hurt yourself."

Tohru weakly smiled and gave an almost imperceptible nod. The door suddenly banged open and in stormed Arisa, Hana, and a disgruntled-looking Kyou behind them. At first, they didn't see that Tohru was awake. They just saw that was Yuki holding her hand and leaning close to their supposedly unconscious friend, murmuring something. That wasn't anything new. Yuki had been in that position for the past three days. If Tohru hadn't tried to sit up, then they probably wouldn't have even noticed she was awake.

"I still don't see why you dragged me in here, Yankee! She's not even..." Kyou trailed off when he saw Tohru try to sit up only to have Yuki ease her back down. Arisa and Hana gasped and they swiftly made their way to Tohru, pushing Kyou to the ground.

"She's awake!" The Yankee breathed in astonishment. "Oh, I'm so glad that you are okay! We've all been so worried! Orangey almost wet himself with worry!"

"WHAT THE HELL!? I did no such thing!" Kyou glared at Arisa and Tohru let out a small laugh followed by a cough.

"Now see what you did? You made her cough. Maybe you should just leave!"

"Hell no! I won't leave and you can't make me!" Yuki rubbed his temples. Déjà vu. That cat needed a sedative.

"I bet I could make you."

"Go on, I'd like to see you try!"

Hana radiated dark amusement and spoke to all in the room and yet didn't address any one person directly. "Their waves are like those of an old married couple." Both Kyou and Arisa froze after hearing that, their argument momentarily forgotten. "It's very selfish of them to focus on each other when Tohru is not well." Hana walked up to Tohru and smiled down at her. Choosing to ignore the "married couple" comment, Arisa too walked up to Tohru's bedside and ruffled her hair.

"So, Tohru, who should we go after: the Prince, or Orangey over here? Hana and I think that Orangey," She jerked a thumb at Kyou, "is to blame. He has a bad temper and probably lashed out at you in a rage and caused you to be here."

"What the f—" Yuki clamped a hand over his cousin's mouth. "Don't be vulgar."

Kyou looked outraged. "Do you hear what they are saying? They are blaming _me_ for what you—"

The cat found himself shoved to the ground for the second time that day.

"Don't."

"Are you two done fighting yet?!" Arisa blurted. "We want to know who to pummel dammit!"

"It was Akito." Yuki stated solemnly.

"Are you familiar with him?" Hana probed.

"Vaguely." He looked uncomfortable now, but Hana on the other hand smiled dangerously.

"The Prince will lead us to this Akito, and then we shall take him by surprise. Arisa, make sure to bring your pipe. I'll bring Megumi along for backup."

"Awesome!" Arisa exclaimed. "So when is a good day for you?"

Hana had to think for a moment. "Saturday?"

"No, that's not good; I have to work that day. How about Sunday?"

"Perfect. Around three?"

The boys sweat-dropped. _They aren't kidding. _

"Maybe it's not the best idea to talk about this now, especially in front of..." Kyou nodded in Tohru's direction.

"Yes, of course. How rude of us. I doubt that she wants to hear how we will get revenge on Akito. Tohru never was one for that kind of stuff. Let's continue planning outside." Hana waved to Tohru and walked out the door.

"We'll be back, don't worry." Arisa followed behind and dragged Kyou along by the ear. He did not appreciate that at all.

"I can walk by myself, Yankee!" The door closed and Yuki and Tohru were in silence.

"How are you feeling?" Yuki asked once the noisy trio had finally left the room. The injured flashed a bright smile at her soon-to-be husband. "I've been better."

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_**I LOVE MESSING WITH KYOU AND ARISA!!!!! XD **_

**A/N2:** Okay then, this story is done! One day I will most likely go back and re-do it, but that day is not today! So please review. Thanks for sticking by my bad updating habits for this story. Hope it was worth the wait!

_**Look for future Fruits Basket stories from me; I have my first Kyrou in the works! **_

lovelove, Amanda


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